Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake - OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

Earthquake Details

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude	4.6
Date-Time	Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 23:01:55 UTC Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 09:01:55 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	40.970°N, 144.879°E
Depth	27.8 km (17.3 miles)
Region	OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances	227 km (141 miles) S of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan 257 km (159 miles) SSE of Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan 291 km (180 miles) E of Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan 738 km (458 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 26.3 km (16.3 miles); depth +/- 8 km (5.0 miles)
Parameters	NST= 44, Nph= 44, Dmin=184.8 km, Rmss=0.56 sec, Gp=176°, M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=4
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usb0008hdx

Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake - NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

Earthquake Details

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude	5.2
Date-Time	Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 21:38:56 UTC Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 06:38:56 AM at epicenter
Location	35.549°N, 141.678°E
Depth	34.6 km (21.5 miles)
Region	NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances	141 km (88 miles) SE (130°) from Mito, Honshu, Japan 175 km (109 miles) E (94°) from TOKYO, Japan 183 km (114 miles) SSE (157°) from Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 15.4 km (9.6 miles); depth +/- 4.3 km (2.7 miles)
Parameters	NST=144, Nph=145, Dmin=320.6 km, Rmss=1.09 sec, Gp= 86°, M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=9
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usb0008hc1

Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake - NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Earthquake Details

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude	6.4
Date-Time	Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 21:13:11 UTC Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 07:13:11 AM at epicenter
Location	5.642°S, 151.025°E
Depth	47.8 km (29.7 miles)
Region	NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Distances	96 km (59 miles) E of Kimbe, New Britain, PNG 174 km (108 miles) ENE of Kandrian, New Britain, PNG 598 km (371 miles) NE of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea 2429 km (1509 miles) N of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 13.9 km (8.6 miles); depth +/- 9.3 km (5.8 miles)
Parameters	NST=251, Nph=251, Dmin=203.7 km, Rmss=1.16 sec, Gp= 43°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usb0008hb9

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA - 14th Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia at a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles), the quake hit at 19:14:22 UTC Wednesday 14th March 2012
The epicenter was 151 km (93.6 miles) Northwest Gorontalo, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

5.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND - 14th Mar 2012

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck off West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand at a depth of 33 km (20.4 miles), the quake hit at 19:07:41 UTC Wednesday 14th March 2012
The epicenter was 153 km (95 miles) West from Queenstown, New Zealand
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Texas Court House Shooting: 1 Dead, 3 Wounded

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A shooting at a courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, on Wednesday wounded up to three people, and a judge interviewed outside the courtroom after the shooting said one person may have died.

Beaumont Fire Captain Earl White said the condition of the three people who were shot and wounded was not immediately known. White said authorities were still clearing the scene of the shooting.

Jefferson County Judge Larry Gist, who was not in the courthouse when the shooting occurred, said in an interview on CNN that one of the people shot was a witness in a sexual assault case involving a child.

Gist said the gunman shot "three people, maybe four" before he was shot by police. One of the wounded, Gist said, "apparently is deceased." Police and other local authorities were not immediately available to confirm the death.

The attack in Beaumont is the latest in a series of shootings across the United States at public buildings over the past week. Source

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Three prominent members of main Syrian opposition group have broken away, accusing the group of serving the interests of foreign countries.

Three prominent members of main Syrian opposition group have broken away, accusing the group of serving the interests of foreign countries.

According to a Syrian National Council (SNC) official, Haitham al-Maleh, Kamal al-Labwani and rights activist Catherine al-Telli left the main opposition bloc due to their "disagreements" with the SNC.

Al-Labwani, however, said that they resigned because they did not want to be "accomplices to the massacre of the Syrian people.'' He also accused head of SNC Burhan Ghalioun of running the organization autocratically.

The SNC is "linked to foreign agendas which aim to prolong the battle while waiting ... for the country to be dragged into a civil war," said al-Labwani, adding that "There is no council, it's an illusion."

He also said that many more will quit the council in the coming days.

Al-Maleh said he was quitting over lack of cooperation in the council and al-Telli cited the SNC's "inefficiency" on "certain personalities and political trends" as the reason for her resignation.

"There is no transparency and there is no respect for other opinions. They aren't given the work the attention that it needs to fulfill the ambitions of the Syrian people," al-Maleh said.

Meanwhile UN-Arab League's envoy Kofi Annan has said he received a response from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to his proposals aimed at ending months of unrest in the Arab nation. Damascus had previously said no political solution would be found while terrorist groups remained active in the country. Source

Syria arrests terrorists responsible for Homs massacre

The Syrian army has reportedly arrested a number of terrorists responsible for the massacre of civilians in the restive city of Homs, Press TV reports.

At least 15 civilians, among them a woman with her four children, were killed after armed gangs stormed the Karm al-Louz neighborhood of Homs on Tuesday. This was the second civilian massacre in Homs in recent days.

At least 45 people, including women and children, were tortured and killed in Karm el-Zaytoun on Sunday night.

Syria’s Information Minister Adnan Mahmoud has said that terrorist groups carried out the massacre in the Karm el-Zaytoun neighborhood to tarnish the image of the Syrian government.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops have pulled out the bodies of several army soldiers from the sewage system in the Ashireh neighborhood of Homs, who were killed by terrorist groups earlier.

Heavy clashes have also been reported in the southern city of Dara'a.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March and many people, including security forces, have lost their lives in the violence.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing the protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad. Source

CIA & Mossad Death Squads Exposed In Syria

CNN SCANDAL 2012 - Syria - 72 Hours Under Fire. LIES about Syria EXPOSED

Colombia cities on alert as smoke, ash rise from volcano

MANIZALES, COLOMBIA (CBS) -- A rising smoke plume from a Colombian volcano put nearby cities and towns on alert as it continued to emit smoke, vapor and ash Monday.

The Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located in central Colombia about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Bogota, has been on yellow alert since October 2010 and began spewing ash and smoke last week.

The director of the Manizales seismic observatory, Gloria Cortes, said they are keeping a close eye on the volcano and monitoring seismic activity as they work with local officials to ensure the safety of nearby residents and tourists in the area.

"The local committee leaders, led by the area mayors, and given the current state of activity, have made a decision regarding the level of alert for the different areas and cities," Cortes said.

Authorities from cities in the volcano's proximity say they too are carefully watching the situation and have issued green and yellow alerts depending on how close they are to the volcano. Read More

New species of human may have been discovered in China

Scientists think fossils found in China may be from a different species of human being.

The remains, including skulls and teeth, are about 11,500 to 14,500 years old. They show features from modern and ancient humans, as well as some new features.

They're being called 'red deer people' - some of the fossils were found in an area called Red Deer Cave.

The fossils were actually discovered more than 20 years ago, but it's only now that scientists have studied them in detail.

Most remains of ancient people - like the Neanderthals who died out around 30,000 years ago - have been found in Europe and Africa.

Fossil finds in Asia are more rare and that's another reason scientists are getting excited with this discovery. Source

Cyber-attack on BBC leads to suspicion of Iran's involvement

A "sophisticated cyber-attack" on the BBC has been linked to Iran's efforts to disrupt the BBC Persian Service.

In a speech Director General Mark Thompson plans to say that the internet attack coincided with efforts to jam two of the service's satellite feeds into Iran.

He will say: "We regard the coincidence of these different attacks as self-evidently suspicious."

Last month Mr Thompson accused Iran of intimidating Persian service workers.

Reporters Without Borders has also complained about Iran's "cyber-army".

The latest revelation follows a blog post by Mr Thompson in February in which he complained of the "repeated jamming of international TV stations such as BBC Persian TV, preventing the Iranian people from accessing a vital source of free information".

In his speech to the Royal Television Society he will note that on the day of the cyber-attack there had also been an attempt to disrupt the Persian Service's London phone-lines by the use of multiple automatic calls. Read More

Obama: U.S., UK increasing pressure on Syria but Assad "will leave power"

March 14 – President Barack Obama says he and British Prime Minister David Cameron agree to increase pressure on Syria but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “will leave power”.

U.S. may give Russia data on missile-defense

(Reuters) - The Obama administration is leaving open the possibility of giving Moscow certain secret data on U.S. interceptor missiles due to help protect Europe from any Iranian missile strike.

A deal is being sought by Washington that could include classified data exchange because it is in the U.S. interest to enlist Russia and its radar stations in the missile-defense effort, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Tuesday in written replies to Reuters.

No decision has been made yet on whether the United States would offer data about the interceptors' "velocity at burnout," or VBO, said Air Force Lieutenant Colonel April Cunningham, the spokeswoman, but it is not being ruled out.

VBO is at the heart of what Russia wants as the price for its cooperation, said Riki Ellison, head of the private Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, who has close ties to missile defense and military officials. Read More

One year later, Syria's Assad won't bow to uprising

(Reuters) - Bashar al-Assad always said Syria would be different.

When the Arab uprisings first erupted more than a year ago, the Syrian president confidently said his government was in tune with its people, ready to reform on its own terms, and immune from the turmoil starting to sweep the region.

Within weeks he was proved wrong, when a few dozen protesters took to the streets of Damascus on March 15 to call for greater freedoms, setting off one of the most protracted and bloodiest of all the Arab revolts.

But while those uprisings toppled four Arab leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, the 46-year-old Assad has withstood the year-long turmoil, deploying tanks, elite troops and artillery to crush rebellion across the country.

Bombarding the city of Homs into submission last month and taking control of much of another rebel hotbed in Idlib, Assad has challenged the assumptions of many who just a few weeks ago were talking of his imminent departure. Read More

Shaky truce appears to end along Gaza-Israel border

Gaza City (CNN) -- Israeli aircraft targeted two "terror activity sites" in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said early Wednesday, in another round of tit-for-tat that appeared to end a shaky truce.

"Direct hits were confirmed," the Israel forces in a statement. The attack was carried out in response to rockets fired at Israel over the past day, the statement said.

"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or IDF soldiers, and will continue to operate with determination at any given time against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel," the statement said. "The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

A man who answered the phone at the IDF international news desk declined to specify what was hit or whether anyone was hurt. Read More

Suicide bomber kills 2 in Mogadishu, official says

(CNN) -- Flesh and blood covered the ground near Somalia's presidential palace Wednesday after a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt, killing two people and wounding four, a law enforcement official said.

Col. Abdullahi Hassan Barise, the head of the country's criminal investigation department, told reporters at a news conference the bomber also died.

"In initial assessment, I can confirm that those killed in the suicide attack are two civilians and the bomber himself and all the four wounded are also civilians,'' Barise said.

The attacker blew himself up at a tea shop near the presidential palace, Barise said, adding that an investigation is under way.

Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group fighting Somalia's weak transitional government, claimed the responsibility for the attack. Read More

Bangladesh ferry death toll rises to more than 100

Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- At least 112 bodies have been recovered after a packed ferry capsized in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday.

At least 35 survivors have been rescued, said local police chief Shahabuddin Khan, who is supervising the rescue operation.

Khan could not say how many people were on the ferry when it sank early Tuesday in southern Bangladesh.

The MV Shariatpur-1 sank in the Meghna River after colliding with a cargo ferry while passengers slept, a survivor said.

"We were seven in a cabin in the ferry, and six of my family members are still missing," Mohammad Dulal Dewan told CNN Tuesday.

"Everything happened before I could understand anything." Read More

How would Israel bomb Iranian sites?

(CNN) -- It's late in Iran on a dark night, moonless or with heavy clouds. Suddenly the silence is broken by sonic booms, followed by the sound of jets roaring overhead.

Flying in tight formation, Israeli fighter planes drop bunker-busting bombs on a nuclear enrichment plant built into the side of a mountain.

Iranian pilots race for their own jets to fight back, but by the time they take to the sky, it's too late. The Israeli jets streak away.

That, at least, is what Israel would like to happen if it decides to attack Iran in an effort to prevent it from acquiring the ability to make nuclear weapons.

But would it be as easy for Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear sites as it was for the Jewish state to strike an Iraqi reactor in 1981 or a suspected one in Syria five years ago?

Experts inside and outside Israel say no. Read More

Syria: Torture Captured on Video Posted on Youtube (Video can not be independently verified)

Syrian forces take rebel stronghold of Idlib

(CNN) -- The civilian death toll mounted in Syria Wednesday as the U.N.-Arab League envoy for the country, Kofi Annan, considered a response from Syrian authorities to proposals laid out in weekend meetings, officials said.

Annan "has questions and is seeking answers," said a statement by his spokesman.

"But given the grave and tragic situation on the ground, everyone must realize that time is of the essence. As he said in the region, this crisis cannot be allowed to drag on."

The opposition said 56 people died across Syria Wednesday, including 29 in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, where activists reported Syrian forces had seized control following a four-day military onslaught. Only pockets of the city were held by soldiers who have defected, the activists said.

Annan met last weekend with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in hopes of reaching a diplomatic solution to the yearlong Syrian crisis. Read More

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN- 14th Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan at a depth of 60 km (37.2 miles), the quake hit at 17:26:25 UTC Wednesday 14th March 2012
The epicenter was 225 km (139.5 miles) South of Miyako, Iwate, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake MICHOACAN, MEXICO - 14th Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake has struck Michoacán, Mexico at a depth of 72.4 km (45 miles), the quake hit at 16:31:42 UTC Wednesday 14th March 2012
The epicenter was 39 km (24 miles) NNE from Las Guacamayas, Michoacán, Mexico
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Five swans found dead at River Tame, near Tamworth‎, England

POLLUTION checks are to be carried out at a Midland river where five swans have mysteriously died in as many weeks.

The RSPCA say due to the decayed state of the birds, they are no nearer discovering the cause of the deaths.

But inspectors have not ruled out pollution or foul play.

And the organisation has deep concern for the safety of two remaining swans on the stretch of the River Tame close to Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth.

A fisherman raised the alert last Thursday after spotting one of the dead birds. By the time RSPCA officials arrived next day the body had been mutilated – possibly by a fox – so a post mortem was not possible.

Two other dead birds were seen at an inaccessible spot nearby and a skeleton was also found. The RSPCA has been told of a fifth death, though the carcass has not been discovered. Read More

Swine flu: 12 cases detected in Pune, authorities on alert , India

PUNE: Detection of about 12 Swine flu cases in the last fortnight has put the health authorities here on an alert, as two patients are reported to be in a critical condition.

While some of the cases have been detected in a "pro-active" research survey, undertaken by the city-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) in a locality here, other non-specified areas, too, have reported H1N1 infections. "While the cases detected by NIV are being treated as outdoor patients without admission, other cases, which include two critical ones, call for a greater surveillance, as Pune had not reported any fatality on account of Swine flu in the last year," Dr Pradip Awate, State swine flu surveillance officer told PTI.

Two of the three critical patients, admitted to ICU in different hospitals, were put on ventilator, health officials said. General practitioners, treating seasonal influenza cases, have been advised to screen patients for suspected H1N1 infections, they added. Pune became the epicentre of swine flu cases since recording the first fatality of the dreaded infection in 2009, leading to vigorous surveillance measures that saw a substantial reduction in its transmission. Source

Wildfire rages near Maple Cree, Canada

Fire crews are making headway on a raging grass fire near Maple Creek, in southwest Saskatchewan, officials say.

The wild fire is burning north of the Trans-Canada Highway and led to the evacuation of at least two farmyards.

Late Tuesday night, local fire chief Keith Stork told CBC News the western edge of the fire was under control and crews were able to stop the fire from advancing east. It was stopped about five kilometres north of the Trans-Canada, near Highway 21.

The fire blazed through several farmyards, although there were no reports of injuries.

Stork said crews were tending to flare-ups and expected to be working through the night.

"We're getting lots of flare ups," Stork said. "We still have winds gusting up ... so what we're getting is these fingers burning out from the burnt spots." Read More

'Three suspected typhoid cases in Malabuyoc town', Philippines

AFTER the outbreak in Tuburan, the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) admitted there are three suspected typhoid fever cases in Malabuyoc District Hospital.

Dr. Cristina Giango, IPHO head, said the patients showed signs and symptoms of typhoid fever.

She asked the Rural Health Unit (RHU) in the town to check where these patients came from to determine if there are other similar cases in the area.

But Giango said they had yet to confirm if the cases in Alegria town were indeed typhoid fever.
At least 11 suspected victims ages between 5 and 18 and mostly children from barangays Legaspi and Poblacion of Alegria were brought to a local hospital after showing signs of typhoid fever.

But Giango said she has not received reports from the municipal health office confirming that these were cases of typhoid fever.

In Tuburan, cases have gone down as of yesterday.

Giango said that there were only four patients admitted yesterday and 10 were treated at the out-patient department.

There are now 46 patients confined in Tuburan District Hospital. Read More